Teens leaving Facebook? Here's how brands can reach them.

According to data from eMarketer, teens are leaving Facebook in droves for social media sites like SnapChat and Instagram. This is a problem for business who have focused solely on Facebook, and are now left without an audience for their goods. One expert shares tips on how brands can continue reaching teens.

"All marketing must be channel relevant within Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Marketers have spent a ton of money on high-quality video creative already, so it makes sense they would want to just rework it for Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Unfortunately, that approach is usually ineffective. Instead, brands need to edit and adapt creative assets to work within social media channels, which might mean adding additional images, layering in new motion graphics, or generating additional video content that is better suited for a social environment. Due to the enhanced targeting capabilities on these channels, brands shouldn't just send the same message to their entire target audience. By combining existing and new assets, brands can craft personalized video ads, which create resonance for your brand," said Jeff Fagel, CMO, Eyeview.

Micro-segment content

"Social media users expect relevancy. Technology exists that enables brand marketers to easily create many permutations of an ad to make it relevant for micro-segments. For example: an SUV ad for users in Florida might feature sand, while the same ad for users in Maine might feature snow. You can go much deeper than this on the personalization front, presenting different offers to different customers based on what you already know about their preferences," said Fagel.

Don't pay for engagement, pay for sales

"Whether or not usage of the main Facebook app will continue to decline among teens is still a question mark, but all of this focus on comparing Snapchat vs. Facebook has obscured the fact that each are racing to prove that they are valuable tools for producing tangible business results. It's time to stop paying for views and engagement, and start using digital video advertising as a sales tool. Marketers should focus on platforms and partners that guarantee their hard-won budgets will be spent on proven business outcomes," said Fagel.

Use data to craft creative

"The industry is craving personalization, but it will take a fundamental shift in how campaigns are set up and executed to truly deliver on one-to-one creative," said Fagel. "[Campaign] themes that work well in one channel don't always translate well to another. Instead of doing more of the same, start with data - on your audiences and their preferences and habits - and use it to inform creative. This results is more impactful advertising that results in stronger outcomes."

Create ads that work at :05, :15, and :30

"Typical advertising stories were built for 30-second TV spots - how do you translate the goal of that original ad while keeping it relevant at a much shorter length? You have to use the first few seconds wisely. Carefully consider how you will grab the viewer's attention at the beginning of an ad. You have to factor in that most users will have the sound turned off, and then determine how that might change your approach," said Fagel.